Rack for storing and transporting hook equipped clothes hangers



Nov. 21, 1950 A. FRIEDMAN 2,530,609

RASSOIIEOR STORING AND TRANSPO NG EQUIPPED CLOTHES HANG Filed Sept. 8,1947 Patented Nov. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RACK FOR STORINGAND TRANSPORTING HOOK EQUIPPED CLOTHES HANGERS 1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to racks and one object thereof is toprovide a rack which is especially designed for use in a cleaning ortailoring establishment and serves as a convenient medium orinstrumentality for storing and transporting wire variety, hook-equippedclothes hangers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack of theaforementioned type which is adapted when used for storing hangers tohold the hangers in a horizontal position and one on top of the othersand comprises a base frame and an inverted U-shaped hanger retainingstandard on the base frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack of the lastmentioned character in which the side pieces of the standard are adaptedto receive and fit within the side corner portions of the hangers andare so spaced apart that when the hangers are mounted on the standardthey serve to hold the hangers in registry with one another, i. e., invertical alignment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack of the type andcharacter under consideration in which the central portion of thecrosspiece of the standard serves as, and forms, a handle whereby therack, together with the hangers thereon, may be carried or transportedfrom place to place and the end portions of the crosspiece of thestandard slope downwards and serve to guide and align the hangers on theside piece as they are successively mounted on the standard.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clothes hanger rack ofthe aforementioned character in which the standard is formed ofcomparatively heavy, stiff wire and the lower ends of the side pieces ofthe standard are bent outwards at right angles to form supports for theside corner portions of the hangers that are mounted on the standard.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clothes hangerrack which is simple in which like numerals of reference denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a perspective showing a rack embodying the invention withclothes hangers mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a perspective of the rack without clothes hangers; and

Figure 3 is a perspective showing the manner in which the rack whentilted or tipped on its side may be manipulated so as to cause thehangers to be suspended from a horizontally extending clothes hangerrod.

The rack which is shown in the drawing constitutes the preferred form orembodiment of the invention. It is designed and adapted for use in acommercial cleaning or tailoring establishment and, as hereinafterdescribed more in detail, serves as a medium for storing andtransporting wire variety clothes hangers d. The

clothes hangers are illustrated in the drawing as being of conventionalor standard construction and comprising normally horizontal bottompieces, upwardly and inwardly inclined top pieces and hooks at the upperinner ends of the top pieces. The outer ends of the top pieces areconnected to, and formed integrally with, the ends of the bottom piecesand define therewith side corner portions.

The rack is essentially a portable unit and consists of a base frame 5and an inverted U-shaped standard 6.

The base frame 5 is fiat to the end that it may be placed on a table inthe establishment in which the rack is used or on the floor of theestablishment. It is fo med of comparatively heavy, stiff wire and, asshown in the drawing, is diamond shaped. The ends of the wire of whichthe base frame 5 is formed are welded together as at l. The distancebetween each obtuse angled corner of the base frame and the center ofthe base frame is slightly less than the height of the hangers. As shownin the drawing, the parts of the frame that are disposed on oppositesides of each obtuse angled corner are straight and are disposed atsubstantially the same obtuse angle as the top pieces of the hangers 4.All four corners of the base frame are curved so as to avoid sharppoints. Preferably, the wire which is used to form the base frame is ofsuch gauge that the base frame is rigid or stiff.

The U-shaped standard 6 is connected to, and projects upwards from thebase frame and consists of a pair of laterally spaced side pieces 8 anda crosspiece 9. It is formed of comparatively heavy, stiff wire of thesame gauge as the 3 wire of which the base frame 5 is formed. The sidepieces 6 of the standard normally extend vertically and are arranged inparallel relation. They are adapted to receive and fit within the sidecorner portions of the hangers 4, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 and arespaced apart a distance slightly less than the length or horizontaldimension of the hangers to the end that when the hangers are mounted onthe standard they are maintained by the side pieces in registry with oneanother. The lower ends of the side pieces 6 of the inverted U-shapedstandard are bent outwards at right angles and form normally horizontalsupports H for the side corner portions of the hangers that are mountedon the standard.

The outer ends of the supports H) over1ie and are welded to the acuteangled corners of the diamond shaped base frame 5 and as a result thestandard extends diagonally with respect to the base frame. It iscontemplated that when the hangers 4 are mounted on the standard theywill be positioned so that the hooks thereof face or project in onedirection. When the hangers are so mounted on the standard the hooksthereof over1ie and are supported by the subjacent obtuse angled cornerof the base frame. Such corner, together with the outwardly extendingsupports H3 at the lower ends of the side pieces 8 of the invertedU-shaped standard 9, constitutes a three point support for the hangerswhile the latter are in place on the standard. The crosspiece 9 of thestandard extends between and is formed integrally with the upper ends ofthe side pieces 8. The central portion of the crosspiece 9 is straightand serves as a handle whereby the rack as a whole, together with thehangers thereon, may be conveniently transported from place to place.The end portions of the crosspiece 9 are curved outwards and downwardsin order that they operate to guide the side corner portions of thehangers around the side pieces of the standard in connection withsuccessive mounting of the hangers on the standard.

When it is desired to mount a hanger on the rack the hanger is heldhorizontally and is manipulated into a position wherein the side cornerportions thereof overlie the vertically extending side pieces 8 of thestandard. After so positioning the hanger the latter is released. Uponrelease the hanger falls downwards around the standard until it issupported by the supports l8 and the subjacent obtuse angled corner ofthe base frame. In connection with dropping of the hanger onto thestandard the outwardly curved end portions of the standard crosspiece 9serve to guide the side corner portions of the hanger around the sidepieces 8 of the standard. Because of the spacing of the standard sidepieces, the hangers, after being mounted on the standard, are maintainedin vertical alignment and one on top of the other, as heretofore stated.If it is desired to suspend the hangers from a horizontally extendingclothes hanger rod, such, for example, as the rod ii of Figure 3, therack is tilted or tipped on its side and is then manipulated so as tobring the hooks of the hangers into hooked relation with the rod (seeFigure 3). After the hangers are suspended from the rod the rack isremoved by sliding it horizontally in the direction of the base frame.Such sliding movement results in the standard becoming disengaged fromthe hangers.

The herein described rack is essentially simple in design and may beproduced at an extremely low cost. It may be transported from place toplace with facility and, due to its design and construction, fulfillsits intended purpose in an emcient manner.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claimwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

As a new article of manufacture, a portable rack designed and adapted tostore and transport in a flatwise position and one on top of the other aplurality of similar conventional wire variety clothes hangers of thetype that consists of 2. normally horizontal bottom piece and a pair ofupwardly and inwardly inclined top piec s having the outer ends thereofconnected by curved corner portions to the ends of the bottom piece andtheir inner ends connected together shaped to form a hook, said rack.comprising a fiat, truly diamond shaped base frame formed of stiif roundwire and having the acute angled corners thereof spaced apart a slightlygreater distance than the distance between the curved corner portions ofthe hangers and the parts hereof that are disposed on opposite sides ofeach obtuse angled corner straight and disposed at substantially thesame obtuse angle as the top pieces of the hangers. and an invertedU-shaped standard formed of stifi round wire, adapted to have thehangers stacked therearouncl and consisting of a g l or side piecesspaced laterally apart a sufficient distance loosely to receive and itwithin the curved corner portions of the hangers and having the lowerends thereof bent outwards at angles, connected fixedly to said acuteangled corners of the base frame and forming supports for said curvedcorner portions of the hangers, and a crosspiece ext-ending between, andconnected to, the upper ends of the side pieces "nd having the centralportion thereof of materially less length than the distance between theside pieces of the standard and shaped to form a handle for carrying therack from place to place and its end portions sloping graduallydownwards and outwards so that they comparatively large substantiallyquarter round members that serve to guide the corner portions of L.hangers around the side pieces during mounting of the hangers on thestandard, the obtuse angled corners of the base frame being spaced fromthe center of the a distance slightly less than the height of thehangers and adapted selectively to support the hooks of the hangers.

ARTHUR FRIEDMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the his ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 891,490 Lippold June 23, 19082,116,386 Copeland May 3, 1938 2,274,165 Ritzau Feb. 24, 1942

